Why lie to me?

After he finished, Ji Ting said nothing, simply watching him without looking away.

"What are you staring at me for? Got a problem?"

Ji Ting's chest rose and fell slightly, as though he were sighing. Looking at it this way, Ji Yanzhi was actually pretty naive.

Naive?

Ji Yanzhi narrowed his eyes and was about to speak when Ji Ting said slowly, "Your first condition is fine, but staying out of the gaming room isn't."

"You think you're in any position to bargain with me?"

"If you don't let me go, Xu Ren won't be able to give you the information on Unit One."

Ji Yanzhi's gaze abruptly darkened. "Are you threatening me?"

Ji Ting looked at him calmly. "You can interpret it that way from your perspective, but I'm telling the truth."

Ji Yanzhi turned back to face forward, expressionless. After a long while, he said, "You can play for two hours every day after your tutoring."

"Okay."

Two hours is enough. I just need a legitimate reason to enter the gaming room.

Ji Yanzhi's brow twitched slightly. Why did it feel as though Ji Ting cared more about getting into the gaming room than playing games?

Was there something else in that room in the West Building?

Ji Yanzhi suppressed his doubts. If he wanted to know what was in there, he could simply take a look that night.

At eight thirty, they returned to the family residence.

Knowing that people rarely ate well at social banquets like that, the butler had instructed the kitchen to prepare a late-night meal in advance.

Ji Yanzhi ate only half a bowl of oatmeal before entering his study. After reading the messages on his phone, he made a call.

"Director Wu's side is settled."

The man on the other end snorted derisively. "We gave him a perfectly good way to back down, but he insisted on embarrassing himself."

"How are things on your end?"

"You mean Yang Tao?" There was a hint of smugness mixed into the man's disdain. "Hah, he's got a nose like a dog's. The moment the Board of Directors started leaning our way, he sniffed it out."

They exchanged updates on the various fronts for about fifteen minutes, until they had covered most of their business.

"That's everything. Get some rest."

"Hey, wait. Your dad..." The man abruptly stopped, then continued two seconds later. "Ji Shize will be back soon. Things will get even harder for you then, so be prepared."

Ji Yanzhi's lips curved in a self-mocking smile, and he chuckled. "Do I really need to prepare? I've seen every ugly side of him."

The man didn't know what to say either and could only smack his lips awkwardly. "All right. As long as you know what you're dealing with."

"I'm hanging up."

After ending the call, Ji Yanzhi leaned back in his chair and sat alone for a long while.

He looked at the phone on his desk, his eyes shadowed, as though some emotion were tugging at his heart.

In the end, Ji Yanzhi picked it up again.

"Have you finished eating?"

Scrubbing noises came from the other end before Ji Ting slowly answered, "Mm."

Ji Yanzhi fell silent for a moment. "Are you brushing your teeth?"

"Mm."

Ji Yanzhi frowned in disgust. "Why would you answer the phone while brushing your teeth? That's filthy!"

The scrubbing continued as Ji Ting said indistinctly, "If I didn't answer, wouldn't you get mad again?"

Ji Yanzhi took a deep breath. "Finish brushing those damn teeth and come to my study."

Five minutes later.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Ji Ting pushed the door open and walked in. "Did you need something?"

"Come here."

Ji Ting walked up to the desk. Ji Yanzhi stared at him for two or three seconds before saying sternly, "Don't think you'll be free once those two come back. As far as I'm concerned, nobody else's word counts."

Ji Ting blinked in confusion. "Which two?"

Ji Yanzhi studied his expression. He didn't seem to be playing dumb. "Didn't Lin Qing tell you they're planning to come back?"

Only upon hearing that name did Ji Ting realize he meant the original owner's parents.

Oh, right. Lin Qing sends photos every day, so I muted her messages on WeChat.

Hearing Ji Ting call Lin Qing by her full name in his thoughts, Ji Yanzhi felt a flicker of confusion, and his gaze became scrutinizing.

Hadn't mother and son always been close? What was this about now?

Had they argued before Lin Qing left on her trip?

Ji Ting's expression, however, remained perfectly normal. "Maybe she did, but I've been busy lately and haven't been checking my messages."

Ji Yanzhi wasn't sure whether to believe him. After studying Ji Ting for a moment, he said coldly, "Either way, I've warned you. If you dare try anything, even Ji Shize won't be able to protect you."

"Oh." Ji Ting gave a slight, indifferent nod. "Can I go back to bed now?"

"Go."

Ji Ting left the study and walked straight into the elevator before taking his phone out of his pocket.

He had so many unread WeChat messages that it took several swipes to find his chat with Lin Qing.

Mom: [Image] [Image].

As regularly as clocking in at work, she had sent him photos again that day.

There were six in total: beaches, coral reefs, tropical rainforests. Every one was a stunning landscape shot.

[The scenery on this private island is wonderful. Your dad said the three of us should come together next time.]

Ji Ting's gaze paused on "the three of us" for a moment before he scrolled down to the next message.

Mom: [Aren't the photos beautiful? Your dad just took them for me.]

Just now?

Ji Ting's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He scrolled back up and opened the third photo.

The turquoise seawater resembled naturally formed ice jade. In the photo, Lin Qing sat in a canoe, looking relaxed and content.

Ji Ting spread two fingers to enlarge the background. After confirming that he wasn't mistaken, he returned to his room and sent her a message.

[So these were all taken today?]

A few minutes later, Lin Qing replied: [Yes.]

Even though her son hadn't replied to her messages in a long time, Lin Qing offered no questions or concern. She simply answered him.

A thoughtful look entered Ji Ting's eyes. Then, unexpectedly, she sent another message: [Your dad's great at taking photos, isn't he?]

Strange.

Ji Ting unconsciously tilted his head. Why was Lin Qing lying?

The canoe bore the human-and-serpent totem of the Yonaka Kingdom, while the forest vegetation in the distance was semi-evergreen. Southern Thailand was practically the only place where those two elements appeared together.

Ji Ting enlarged the background as far as he could. At the far end, he could just make out two atolls shaped like a pair of bull's horns.

He walked over to the desk, opened his laptop, and brought up a real-time satellite map.

Ji Ting quickly entered a few keywords. In less than two minutes, he had pinpointed the private island's exact coordinates on the map.

Thailand, 128.3 nautical miles west of Koh Samui.

It was now mid-December. Given the monsoon climate, the region was in its annual period of heavy rainfall, with typhoons passing through as well. Although it didn't necessarily rain every day during the rainy season, sea levels would definitely reach their annual peak.

Yet in the photo Lin Qing had sent, the receding shoreline was clearly far from the sea cliffs, meaning it could only have been taken during the hot season, from March to May.

There was only one answer: Lin Qing was lying. The photo had been taken earlier, but she was deliberately making him believe it had just been taken that day.

That raised a new question, and Ji Ting wondered, Why would a couple who had been happily married for years lie to their own son about an ordinary trip abroad?